


Above the World So High

by Mobi_On_A_Mission



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, F/M, Getting Together, Multi, Non-Explicit Sex, OT3, On the ring, Polyamory, Pregnancy, Sweet Angst, Unplanned Pregnancy, and have a lot of feelings okay?, but not in a porny way, ffm, these three are soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:48:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26539117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mobi_On_A_Mission/pseuds/Mobi_On_A_Mission
Summary: Emori's life on the Ring made sense. She had a job, she had a boyfriend, and she had a best friend they'd sleep with from time to time. But then Raven got pregnant, and things started changing.
Relationships: Emori/John Murphy/Raven Reyes
Comments: 20
Kudos: 47
Collections: The t100 Writers for BLM Initiative





	Above the World So High

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sparklyfairymira (myonetruelove)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myonetruelove/gifts).



Emori was engrossed in code, going through line by line to cut down energy usage on the water reclamator. With her headphones on and a rock song pounding through them, she was able to get deep into it and drown out the mechanical hum of the Ring that had become so familiar yet remained so alien.

From next to her, Raven scooted her own chair back and ran out of the room and into the bathroom.

Emori followed after her and found Raven on the floor next to the toilet, emptying her stomach. Her hair was pulled back in her signature ponytail, otherwise it would be covered in vomit.

Emori waited until she stopped heaving for a few seconds. “Stomach bug?”

“No, morning sickness.”

Emori stopped dead in her tracks. “Really? As in… you’re pregnant?”

“Yeah.” Raven lifted her head from the toilet and rubbed her mouth on the back of her hand. “I just went to Harper yesterday and took the test. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

Emori’s stomach churned, but she pushed aside the feeling to sit on the floor next to Raven and rub her back. “I’m here for you, Rey. We both are. You know that, right? We’re here for you all the way.”

“I just- I always thought if I was gonna have a baby it wouldn’t be with someone else’s boyfriend.”

Emori nodded silently. Just being the seven of them on the Ring, and six of them being coupled up, there weren’t exactly many options for Raven. And with her being best friends with both Emori and John, it just made sense. They spent a lot of time together, and after a while they started sleeping together. But that’s all it was: Emori and John were a couple, and Raven wasn’t.

But now she was pregnant, and she didn’t need to tell Emori for her to know John was the father.

“How’s he gonna take it?” Raven asked.

“Honestly? It’s hard to say. He loves kids, but I don’t think…” Emori sighed and shook her head. “John never planned on becoming a dad. He’s gonna need some time to get used to the idea.”

“Yeah.” Raven frowned. “I really don’t want to think about it. Can we just go back to work? I can’t deal with this right now.” She got up to wash her hands and rinse out her mouth.

Emori pursed her lips but nodded anyway. Raven couldn’t avoid this forever. None of them could. In nine months—maybe even less now—there would be a baby. A little baby, half Raven and half John.

Fuck.

* * *

Raven and Emori worked straight through the evening, only stopping for a quick algae dinner. By the time they were done everyone had gone back to their quarters, so they walked together back to Emori and John’s room.

Emori opened the door, and John looked up from his place on the bed watching _The Lord of The Rings_ on their video screen. He paused the movie to smile back at them.

“So. Did you save us all?”

“Like always.” Raven’s smile didn’t reach her eyes or her voice.

“Hey, what’s up, Rey?” John was always good at telling when they weren’t feeling right. “Don’t tell me Praimfaya 3.0 is coming for us.”

Emori let out a half-hearted chuckle as she and Raven sat on the edge of the bed, hands intertwined.

John’s gaze rested for a moment on their intertwined fingers before lifting back up to look them in the eyes. “What’s going on?” He seemed legitimately worried now.

“John-” Emori started. “No one is dying. Raven has news, but it’s not bad news. Come ‘ere.” She wiggled in next to him, wrapping an arm around his back and leading him to sit up straighter.

Raven righted herself, angled straight at him, and took a deep breath. “Murphy. I know that whatever we’re doing here-” She motioned between them. “-it’s not like what you and Emori have. That’s okay. What we have is enough. I really enjoy the time I get to spend with you both and I don’t know how you’re gonna take this but…”

Emori rested her free hand on Raven’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “This isn’t like you. You’re a badass, Raven, you can do this.”

“You’re right, Emori. Murphy, I’m-” She bit her lip. “-I’m pregnant. It’s yours, if that wasn’t clear.”

“Shit,” John said, eyes glancing down to Raven’s flat stomach then over to Emori. He looked sad. Sorry. “I’m sorry, Rey, I didn’t mean-”

Raven’s eyes glistened and her jaw trembled as she drew back. “I don’t expect anything from you. But I’m keeping it, and it deserves a dad. It would be nice if you could be one.”

It broke Emori’s heart, to watch Raven like that. But this conversation was meant for her and John. She had to respect that, had to give him time to fix his own mess.

John’s hand gripped onto Raven’s wrist. “Wait, Rey. I didn’t mean for this to happen, but it did. I’ll be here for the baby and I’m here for you now.”

“You don’t need to leave,” Emori said, shaking her head. “Please.”

Raven took in a shaky breath. “I can’t stay. Not tonight. I’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay?” Her voice sounded small, far away.

Emori nodded and held John’s wrist back as he tried to reach out to her again. They needed to give Raven space. This was an adjustment for her more than any of them. She was growing a human life inside of her. Emori couldn’t imagine how strange that must feel.

The door clicked after her and Emori was alone in the room with John. He flopped back against the pillows and Emori followed him, wrapping him back up in her arms and legs and giving him a little squeeze.

They didn’t speak for a while, just laid there.

Eventually John looked down at Emori, tears welling in his eyes. “What are we gonna do, Mori?”

She rested her chin on his chest. “Whatever we have to do. We’ll take care of Raven, take care of the baby.” She imagined John holding a baby in his arms, of him smiling at it and singing to it. Of him playing soccer in the halls with a toddler practically the same size as the ball. Her chest tightened. “You’re gonna be an amazing dad.”

He lifted his hand to wipe at his eyes. “I don’t know anything about being a dad. I’m gonna fuck the kid up even worse than I am.”

“Hey. No. You’re gonna make mistakes, sure. That’s part of being human. But then you’re gonna fix your mistakes. Not to mention you have Raven and everyone else on this hunk of metal. You have _me_ , John.”

Emori could tell he had more to say, that he still wasn’t comfortable. But he went silent and so she let it be. To be honest, Emori wasn’t comfortable either. In every passing fantasy of one day having a child, not once did she imagine this possibility: the two people she loved most in the world raising a child together and herself on the outside. She had never felt so alone, not since she met John.

Eventually he grabbed the remote and resumed the movie where he left off. Emori tried to enjoy every moment they had together but she was too stressed to really enjoy any of it. She noticed the way John looked at Raven, the way he cared for her. It seemed like more than a friend. He cared for her almost like he cared for Emori, and that was a really scary thought. After the baby came… it was only a matter of time before they’d want to be a family. A perfect little family with no room for Emori in it.

She snuggled in close to John and rested her ear on his chest so she could feel and hear the beating of his heart. They didn’t say anything, but both of them were tense. Whatever happened next, it would be hard, and Emori didn’t want to deal with it just yet. She wanted to revel in having John for as long as she had left. Only problem was, it was hard to enjoy time with someone when she didn’t know if he’d pick her first. Maybe, now, Raven was more important than her. Maybe the baby was more important.

* * *

_In Emori’s dreams, a baby didn’t seem so bad. She dreamt of a little kid running around, a toddler with deep brown eyes and John’s messy hair. She looked down to see her own belly swollen with the promise of new life, smiling as the toddler played._

_“Look at me, Nomon!” he called. “I’m spacewalking!” His feet lifted off the floor and he floated in the air, bouncing from one wall to another._

Emori woke up with a smile on her face, but as she blinked awake and remembered reality it faded away. She couldn’t think about things like that. It hurt too much.

Beside her, John was still sleeping. He loved sleeping in, and she almost never saw him awake before she left their room in the morning. That’s something he’d have to give up, when the baby came.

She leaned down and dropped a kiss on John’s forehead. He moaned and stirred. Emori smiled. He was so cute when he slept. He needed the extra time, she wasn’t going to wake him up when he was resting so peacefully. Later they would talk to Raven, but for now he could sleep.

The circadian lights were dim but getting brighter, and she peeled herself out of bed to get ready for the day.

Emori loved babies. In the Dead Zone there were a few times Baylis would pick up a new baby in the woods. Emori would care for them, even play with them when it was safe enough. She could take them places strapped to her back like any mother would, and pretend. People were always more open when she had a baby with her. Of course it came with more risks too. There was another person to protect, another deformity to give them away if someone saw it.

That’s why she worked so well with Arden when she was little. Unlike most of them, Arden’s deformity was on her leg. Made it a huge pain to walk, but bundled up in blankets she looked like any other baby. Emori could take her around and didn’t have to worry about her face or arm being seen.

The only problem was the noise. That was a big problem, working with children. They didn’t understand that they had to be quiet sometimes, to sneak in and out and not leave a trace. They didn’t understand that so much as an out-of-turn cough could lead to death. They learned quickly though. Emori taught them how to tread lightly and channel their anger and steal. Little ones could be the best thieves. Emori didn’t want to train them so young, didn’t want to send them in as young as three years old to pickpocket. But that was their way; that was Baylis’ rule. Everyone pulled their weight and earned their keep, or they wouldn’t be kept.

Raven’s baby, though—Raven’s and John’s—maybe they wouldn’t have to steal. Maybe they could grow up healthy and happy. Maybe they could cry sometimes and laugh even more and have a family rather than a bunch of thieves like Emori.

Because that was it: Emori didn’t deserve to have a child. She wasn’t worthy. Not only did her deformity make her a stain on the bloodline, her upbringing made her an unfit mother. All she was was a thief. Any baby left with her would probably follow the same fate, just like all the others did.

When she got to the comms room, Raven was already there, slumped over the workstation, computer mouse still in hand and keyboard pushed up so her face was crumpled on her arm on the desk. Oh no. She probably slept here. That’s a thing both Emori and Raven did when they had a lot on their minds. They’d work themselves to exhaustion and pass out.

She ran her fingers through Raven’s loose hair. “Good morning, Rey. How’re you feeling?”

Raven stirred with a groan and lifted her head up off of her arms, scowling at Emori through her curtain of hair. It was actually kinda cute, and if Emori weren’t so worried for her she might laugh.

“Did you stay up late working?” Emori tried to make her voice as soft as she could.

Raven nodded, pushing back in her chair and standing up. “I’ve gotta get this comms system working. I think I know what’s wrong, if we just do a spacewalk-”

“Raven.” Emori cut her off. “We’re not doing any spacewalk right now. The comms system is not an emergency, and you’re clearly not feeling well. Do you want to sleep, or do you want to talk?”

“Since when did you decide you’re in charge? You’re my assistant, not my boss.”

Emori pursed her lips. “Raven. More than anything, I’m your friend. And friends look out for each other. I’m not gonna let you run yourself ragged. It’s not good for you, it’s not good for-” She stopped herself.

Raven clenched her jaw. “It’s not good for the baby, is that it?” She nodded bitterly. “Oh, I see. That’s what this is about. That’s the only reason you would care for me.”

“What are you talking about? I love you for you, baby or no. Since when has it ever been productive to work when you’re exhausted? It’s like you told me when John ate that first batch of algae: you’re more useful taking care of what needs taking care of than you are messing things up and making things harder for yourself later on.”

“What is there to take care of? Are you saying you think I should get rid of it?”

“That’s not what I’m saying at all!” Emori’s head fell on her hands. “You need to take care of yourself. _Please_. Usually I let it go, but I-” She shook her head. There were so many emotions running through her, she couldn’t bring herself to think of it. “-I need you to be okay. I know you’re not okay right now, but I want to be there for you. I want to help you.”

“Oh.” The anger fell off of Raven’s face.

Emori led Raven to the common area, where there were a few couches around the room. She sat down and coaxed Raven down beside her. Raven lay her head on Emori’s chest, Emori’s arm wrapped around her back to rest on Raven’s shoulder.

“Sleep or talk?” Emori asked, careful to keep her voice calm.

“Talk.”

“Single word. Good start!” Emori joked.

Raven cracked a smile and wiped at the tears under her eyes.

“Well the first thing I want to say is congratulations. In all the commotion of yesterday I realized I forgot to say it.”

“What are you congratulating me for?”

“On the baby, dumbass. Congratulations.” Emori squeezed Raven’s shoulder.

“That's a weird thing to congratulate someone on. All I did was have sex. You were there.”

Now it was Emori’s turn to laugh. “That I was. But really! You’re having a baby. However it happened, that’s a really cool thing.” She considered for a second. “That is, if you want it.”

“I want it.” Raven nodded. “This isn’t something I planned, but I- I guess I wanted to have a baby someday. I imagined it would be when I’m older though. When I have someone to go through it with, when I won’t be so alone.”

It broke Emori’s heart to hear her say that. “You’re not alone, Raven. I’m here. John’s here. He’ll come around real quick. I bet you the next time you see him he’ll wrap you in a big hug and tell you how excited he is to have a baby with you.” She smiled sadly. Damn jealousy rearing its ugly head.

“I meant I want someone for _me_. Not just for the baby. And Emori… you have no obligation to me here. This isn't your baby. This isn’t your mess to clean up.” The words hurt, and it hurt even more that Raven wasn’t angry when she said them.

“So that’s all I am to you? Nothing? I thought we had something better than that.” Emori must have been reading it all wrong. Raven was one of the most important people in her life, and Emori loved her. She was dumb enough to think the love went both ways.

“What am I supposed to expect from you, Em? You didn’t make this baby. I did. With your boyfriend. So now I feel like absolute shit because I’m a homewrecker on top of being fucking pregnant.”

“You said it yourself. I was there too. Sure you’re making the baby and sure it’s John’s genes in there mixing with yours, but we all made the decision to lie together. We all were okay with that and we all took on the consequences of what happened. Stuff like this happens. We knew that going in. Implants fail. People… people get pregnant. And it doesn’t make them bad people. You’re such a good person Raven, you have to believe me.”

“Okay. I believe you.” Raven nestled back into her side. “You’re still not obligated to do anything.”

Maybe Raven missed the point, but Emori let it slide. She was getting happier by the moment. Emori kissed her forehead. “You’re so strong, Rey. You’re gonna be an amazing mom. Your kid is gonna be so lucky to have you.”

Raven fell asleep on Emori’s chest, and she didn’t have the heart to push her off. Work could wait; Raven needed her rest now.

* * *

At lunchtime, John stole Raven away so they could go talk. Emori couldn’t be sure what they talked about, but when they came back they both had tears under their eyes and smiles on their faces. It was a good start.

* * *

Three days later, the three of them stood in front of the rest of their friends at dinner to announce Raven’s pregnancy. They got some strange and worried looks, but the shock faded quickly and they got congratulations. No one asked them how this was going to work, but Emori knew they were thinking it. She was thinking it. Not only the logistics of having a baby in space, of medical and food and getting them back to Earth as a toddler—but of their relationships. How could Raven and John coparent? It didn’t make sense at all, not with Emori there too.

After that, things pretty much went back to normal. They worked and chatted and sometimes Raven slept in bed with Emori and John. Bellamy started to work knitting a blanket in a hodgepodge of different yarns and fabrics he found. Monty experimented with flavors in algae. Harper started singing kids songs and lullabies under her breath until they were stuck in everyone’s head.

Seeing John and Raven together made Emori’s stomach turn. He was always massaging her, fetching her water, and attending to her every need. Raven tried to make him stop, at first, but eventually she gave in and let him wait on her. Emori couldn’t tell if it was because he felt bad for getting Raven pregnant, felt he owed her, or he just really cared about her that much. None of the options made her stomach feel okay, and she hated herself for it. She had no right to trample on their happiness like that.

Once, when Emori called it a day early and went to see if anyone was in the common area to hang out, she found John there pouring over parenting manuals on a tablet. She sat down with him and they read together. He told her that after the baby was born, he’d need to step up and be the best dad he could be, just like his dad was for him. Especially because, as he put it, she and Raven had “important science stuff” to do.

Raven and John went together to get Harper to give her a checkup. They didn’t ask Emori to come. She sat in bed alone, holding her knees to her chest and trying not to cry. A few tears snuck out anyway. When John and Raven walked in the door together holding hands and laughing, Emori couldn’t control the sobs from wracking her body.

“Mori?” John rushed to her side and pulled her into his arms as he rubbed her back. “Talk to me.”

Raven hesitated, then came around the bed to curl around Emori and wrap an arm around her so all three of them were cuddled up together.

“I-” Emori sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m sorry I-”

John held her tight. “I can’t understand you when you’re crying like that. Deep breaths, okay? With me. In-” He sucked in a big breath and Emori copied him. “-and out-” They let out a breath together. “In… and out… in… and out. That’s it, just like that.”

Sobs racked through her as she kept breathing, until finally they stopped. “This isn’t about me.” Emori wiped at her tears and forced a smile. “This is about the baby! How was the appointment?”

“It was really good.” Emori could hear a nervous smile in Raven’s voice. “We got to hear the heartbeat. It’s really fast, but that’s normal. Everything is healthy, really. We’re lucky so far.”

“That’s so good!” Emori tried to keep herself from continuing to cry, but it didn’t work.

John brushed her hair out of her face. “Emori? What’s bothering you?”

“It’s stupid.” When neither of them said anything, she continued. “I just- you guys are doing all this baby stuff and I’m left out. I’m left out of the baby and soon I’m gonna be left out of everything. You guys are gonna raise the baby and become a family and I’m just gonna be over here, ten feet away watching and wishing I could have that.”

“Emori, of course you’re part of our family. Your home is with me, okay? No matter who I have a baby with, you’ll always be my girl.”

Emori’s cries turned to sniffles. “Really? You mean that?”

“Of course. I’m a little bit obsessed with you, if you didn’t realize.”

They all laughed.

Raven spoke up. “And about the baby stuff… I didn’t include you because I didn’t want to force this on you. You didn’t ask for this baby to happen and I didn’t want to overstep.”

“I want a baby.” It was more true than anything Emori had said in a long time. “I know I’m not supposed to want it, but I do. I wish it were me. I don’t want you to have a baby without me.”

“Good news for you: we’re having a baby, Mori!” John wiped her tears from her eyes. “How about we go back and bother Harper to show us the heartbeat again?”

Emori nodded as quickly as she could. A grin spread across her face. “We’re having a baby.”

* * *

Emori and Raven took a day off from work, and she and John were spending the morning in bed. She was on her stomach and John was above her, massaging the tension out of her muscles. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and lifted off of her to sit at her side.

“Emori?”

“What?”

“Look at me.”

Her eyes furrowed but she rolled over and sat up, not having any idea what was going on.

“When I say what I say, I want you to know one thing over everything else: I love you so much and I don't want to do anything to come in between us.”

Her heart raced. “Okay…”

“Well I guess I can just say it: Emori, I’m in love with Raven. I don’t love her more than I love you, but I love her too. I don’t want to keep that a secret from you.”

At first Emori was thrown off, but then her whole body lit up with sheer joy and warmth. This made everything so much easier. "I'm in love with her too, you idiot!"

“You what?” John raised an eyebrow.

“I’m in love with her.” Emori was grinning ear to ear. “Just like I’m in love with you. It doesn’t feel the same, not exactly, but it’s love. I love her and I love you.” She chuckled.

“Well shit.” John collapsed backward onto the bed.

Emori propped herself up on an elbow and stroked his arm up and down. “This is good though, right? I think maybe she’s in love with us too.”

“So what if she is? What do we do, Mori? Where does that leave us?”

Emori shrugged. “Wherever we want to be, I guess. We could ask her to be ours.”

John swallowed hard. “If we do this, it’s serious. That’s not something we can just take back if we get bored.”

“Do you think you’re gonna get bored of Raven?”

“Never.”

“Me neither.”

“Then it’s settled. We see how she feels, if she wants us back.”

Emori’s stomach fluttered. She leaned down to kiss John, and he pulled her in close to kiss her harder. She pulled back, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip. God, how was he horny already? “Save it for later, John. If all goes well, we’re gonna have something to celebrate tonight.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

John grinned bright. “You’re gonna figure out how to talk to her about this, right?”

Emori grabbed a pillow and hit him with it, as hard as she could.

“Ow! I’m being serious, Mori. Are we just gonna wing it?”

She flopped down at his side. “I don’t know.”

“I’d get her flowers, if I could. Like I did for you.”

Emori blushed and laughed. Back in the early days, he’d tried to impress her with flowers plucked from the bushes. It was cute, but not all that impressive.

“What about a romantic dinner? I know all we have is algae, but it’s the mood lighting that counts, right?”

John hummed. “I think I can work with that.”

* * *

They both dressed up as best as they could. They had some nicer clothes stashed away in the closet, things they’d found in their scavenging through the Ring in the first months of being there. Usually they’d only pull them out for special events like birthdays and festivals, but today was as good a time as any.

If Raven had found it strange that they invited her for a dinner in their favorite hallway with the big windows looking out to the stars, she didn’t let on. Emori found her in the common room when it was time, curled up next to Echo and laughing about something Bellamy was doing.

“You ready to go?” Emori stood in the doorway, green dress draped over her, looking over to Raven.

Raven’s eyes looked her up and down. She bit her lip. “You look good.”

“So do you.” Emori walked to her and held her by the hand, raising her to her feet. “Might I even say, you look hot.”

“Get a room!” Monty called out, and Emori’s cheeks heated up. She’d almost forgotten there were other people in the room with them.

“You’re just jealous you can’t look like this,” Raven bit back. It was relieving that she still had her confidence. Raven’s belly had bubbled up, and though she wasn’t big yet, it was becoming more and more clear that she was having a baby. Emori tried to take every opportunity she could to make her feel beautiful. It’s not like it wasn’t true. If Raven was beautiful before, now she was… well, John said she looked like a goddess and that was the best word Emori could think of to describe her. She looked damn good, that much was certain.

They interlaced fingers as they walked out of the room. Emori hoped John had come through with the setup. Originally they had talked about taking Raven for a spacewalk to soften her up, but they were on a rationing kick with the oxygen tanks and Emori knew Raven wouldn’t be comfortable doing a spacewalk just for fun, especially not while pregnant.

Emori hoped Raven couldn’t tell how nervous she was. It felt like she was back on Earth, back in the woods where she kissed John for the first time. She’d noticed him looking at her lips, getting nervous when she was around… but she couldn’t be sure. She could never be sure until she tried something out.

The space between their hands was clammy. Emori hoped it was just pregnancy sweats and not her own nervousness leaking out of her skin. Her heart was pounding like never before, but she tried to remain calm. Stroking Raven’s thumb in hers helped. It gave her something to focus on.

They rounded the corner into the room, and it was beautiful. John had set up dim lanterns around the room, dim enough to set the mood and allow them to see both each other and the stars outside the huge window.

He intercepted them at the door with a wide smile on his face and a black button-up covering his chest.

“What’s all this about?” Raven asked. “Is it my birthday and everyone forgot to tell me?”

“We just want to show you how special you are to us.” Emori brought their hands up to her lips to plant a soft kiss of the back of her hand. She hoped they weren’t going too far, that she wasn’t being too forward. Now that she was there, it felt kind of dumb. Hopefully Raven didn’t think so.

“I like it. Thank you both.” Raven smiled shyly.

Emori let go of Raven’s hand and John took her place, leading Raven to a small metal table he’d set up with three bowls of algae soup and three glasses of water. They sat around it, their knees bumping into each other.

“I wish we could have gotten something better to eat…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But this is the chef’s specialty.”

Emori chuckled. “Sure it is.”

“When we get back to Earth, I’ll cook for you, make you anything you want.”

“I’ll take you up on that!”

Warmth spread through Emori, imagining a future for them on Earth. With a village and a cottage and a warm fire. John setting a table for dinner. A baby in Raven’s arms as she calls out the door for their older siblings to come inside. It felt good. It felt right. Hopefully Raven wanted that too.

They ate their dinner quickly then sat at the table sipping on water and joking around.

As much as she and John had discussed what happened next, Emori still didn’t know how to approach it.

“Raven.” She took Raven’s hand in hers. “It’s hard to imagine my life without you, now. You’re my best friend—you and John. And I want you to know that I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Raven sucked in a breath and her eyes grew wide.

“Raven.” John mirrored Emori’s motions on her other side. “It was no secret I was into you from the moment I met you, back at the dropship.” He blushed an adorable shade of pink. “But I never thought I’d grow to know you so well. That I’d grow to like you so much and want to be around you so much. And least of all did I think I’d be sitting here, so in love with you it hurts.”

Raven’s mouth fell open. “I don’t- I don’t-”

Emori squeezed her hand, her heart in her throat. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But if you do want to, we’re here.”

“What exactly are you asking?” She looked between John and Emori. “I need to hear you say it.”

Emori swallowed hard. “What we’re asking is for you to be ours. More than just friends, more than just sex. We want you to be ours, and for us to be yours.”

“I was really hoping you’d say that. I love you too, by the way.” Raven cupped the back of Emori’s head in her free hand and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

Emori had kissed Raven before, but this was unlike any time before. This wasn’t about sex, it was about love. And the both of them were bursting with it. She brought her hands up to cradle Raven’s head. Her skin was alive in her hands: soft and warm in a way that invited Emori to melt into her.

“My turn,” John said, when they pulled apart. He cupped Raven’s cheek and pulled her in close for a searing kiss.

Tears teased at Emori’s eyes as she watched her two lovers together. Finally the pieces were falling into place. She loved both of them so much and they loved her too. They were a proper family.

Heat flashed in Raven’s eyes as she regarded the both of them. “Wanna take this somewhere a bit more comfortable?”

“Hell yeah I do!” John gave them each a kiss as he stood up. “I’ll do the dishes and you girls go get comfortable.”

Emori slapped him on the ass on his way out, and they grinned at each other. “Hurry up or we won’t save any fun for you.”

John scoffed. “What are you talking about? With me around, there’s always more fun to be had.” He winked.

Emori glanced to Raven, who rolled her eyes but ultimately couldn’t disagree. “Yeah, yeah, but I know you like to watch.”

Emori giggled and pressed her lips to Raven’s. “Shall we?”

Raven interlaced their fingers, and butterflies erupted in Emori’s stomach. She hoped they were ready to make this relationship work. She wanted it so badly, but it was all unfamiliar.

They made their way down the halls, whispering and laughing. They didn’t see any of their friends, even when they passed through the main room, so they must have been off doing their own thing. That may or may not have been influenced by what they expected to go down when Emori and John made their move.

Emori pushed all thoughts of her friends out of her mind and focused on Raven. Finally she could give herself over completely and just be with her.

They passed through the threshold of Emori and John’s—or all three of their—room, and Emori shut the door firmly behind them. She pulled Raven straight into her, tugging her hair and kissing her passionately.

Raven moaned into the kiss and pulled Emori in by the waist, massaging her fingers there as she pried Emori’s mouth open to let her tongue sweep inside. It was hot and overbearing, and Emori loved how sweet it was despite it all. Tonight wasn’t the night for fucking, it was the night for love making.

Emori walked Raven over to the bed and sat her down on it, running her kisses off her mouth to cover her cheeks and jaw and neck as she slipped down her body to kneel on the floor. With deft hands, she unclasped Raven’s brace and got to work ridding her of her shoes and pants.

Raven worked at Emori’s dress at the same time, and soon they were free of their clothes. Finally naked, Emori led Raven up the bed so she was lying comfortably with her head on the pillow and loose hair spilling out around her. Emori sat back to look at her for a moment, completely awestruck at how beautiful she was. Soft smile all over her face, an incredible warmth in her dark eyes, and sinfully delicious curves. Emori stroked a hand from her cheek down across her chest to trace around her breast. When she got to Raven’s stomach, her belly bubbling out a bit with the life growing inside, Emori's heart jumped to her chest. Her gaze fixed there, mesmerized by the way Raven’s skin stretched around the firm bump that would soon become a little baby.

Her gaze flitted back up to Raven’s. “You are so beautiful. In every single way.”

“I can’t believe I get you. I love you, Emori.” Raven pulled her back down to kiss her, and it was incredibly soft and sweet. It was easy to get lost in Raven and forget about the arousal growing in her core, but as soon as Raven’s fingers grazed against Emori’s clit her breath hitched at the heat.

She slotted their hips together so they could grind against one another, lazily spreading their wetness around as Emori fell under Raven’s spell. Her hands were in Raven’s hair, massaging her head and peppering kisses everywhere when their mouths weren’t on each other.

The door clicked open and then closed again. John chuckled.

“I see you got started without me.” He sounded more amused than anything. “Don’t stop on my account.”

Raven pushed Emori’s hair to her opposite shoulder and peeked out at him. “Glad you could finally make it, Murphy. I’m afraid there’s nothing for you to do now. We’ve got this under control.”

“Oh _really_? ‘Cause to me it looks like you’re just getting ready for me.”

Emori looked over to see him watching them intensely, unbuttoning his shirt to expose his chest. Oh, she’ll give him something to watch. She grinded more deliberately into Raven, heat building in her core faster now that John was there too. She took Raven’s breast into her mouth and sucked on the firm bud. Raven must have been feeling the same way, if the way she held on tight and moaned out was anything to go by.

She grinded harder as time went on, the heat building in her core and threatening to spill out. Raven gazed into her eyes, her own eyes so much more vulnerable than usual. Raven was all tough exterior, hardened from years of weight without anyone to fall back on but herself. It was a lonely life, and one that Emori sympathised with. But now Raven was safe. She had a family, she had people to love her and look out for her. Emori whispered promises of protection into her chest, then brought her hand down to Raven's belly and repeated her promise there. This baby was her family, through and through. She wouldn’t let anything happen to it.

The bed dipped as John came up beside them, fully naked now, and cupped his hand around Raven’s jaw. Emori slowed to a steady grind to accommodate him as Raven’s gaze left hers to meet his.

“As much fun as it is to watch, I can’t keep my hands off of you.” He peppered soft kisses on Raven’s cheek, ending on the corner of her lips.

He pulled back, and Emori mourned his loss until she felt him behind her, fingers massaging through her slippery folds. She and Raven both shut their eyes in pleasure, reaching out blindly to seal their lips together once more.

Encased between her lovers, high on endorphins and the promise of a future together– Emori was exactly where she needed to be.

* * *

After their heartbeats died down, Emori and John cuddled into Raven’s sides and wrapped their arms around her. Emori shut her eyes, letting the fresh scent of Raven’s hair lull her.

“We’re gonna have to name this little fucker, aren’t we?” Raven said out of nowhere.

“Nah,” John said. “Let’s just call ‘em ‘the baby’ until they’re five and then they can pick.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Murphy. No wonder I come to you to solve all my problems!”

Emori thought for a moment. “Where I’m from, people like to name babies after places where they were born, or places important to the parents.”

Raven ran her hands through Emori’s hair. “Is that where you got your name?”

Emori nodded. “They tell me they found me out in the woods in a place that used to be called Memorial Botanical Gardens before Praimfaya.”

Raven hummed. “That’s beautiful.”

“It tells a story.” Emori shrugged. “For some people, that’s a really beautiful story.”

“What’s our baby’s story gonna be?”

“For now, it’s our story, I guess.” Emori smiled, thinking back on how the three of them got together even through a gunshot wound, a pistol whip, a radiation chamber, and a nuclear deathwave. “Somehow or another we all ended up here.”

Raven kissed her on the corner of her lips, and John kissed her hand.

They didn’t end up making any decisions about baby names that evening, but it got them talking. By the time, a couple months later, that Raven pulled Emori’s and John’s hands to her belly for them to feel the baby kick for the first time, they had a pretty good idea of what they would name it. They decided to name it after the stars: Estella for a girl or Aster for a boy.

* * *

Working Raven through her labor was one of the most terrifying experiences of Emori’s life. She was only there for moral support, but between Raven’s screams, Harper’s urgent whispers, and John’s frantic pacing, she was kind of freaking out. She did her best to hide it though.

Emori didn’t know what it meant for the baby to be posterior, but apparently it had to do with Raven not being allowed to push even though every fiber in her body was telling her to. Harper said it was important, that otherwise Raven or the baby could get hurt.

Emori was on Raven’s right side and John was on her left, and she was gripping on to both of their hands for dear life. They exchanged a terrified look over Raven’s head before focusing back on her with encouraging words.

After what felt like a lifetime of squeezing and deep breathing and Harper's arm deep in Raven’s vagina, Harper gave the okay, Raven screamed and squeezed some more, and then Harper was smiling through hardly-concealed tears.

“He’s here!” Harper said. “He’s so beautiful.” She patted the slimy little thing’s back a few times, and he started crying. “Sings like a bird, too! You’ve got your hands full with this one.”

Emori stayed with Raven as John helped Harper to cut the umbilical cord and wash him up quickly. John came back holding the tiny little baby as delicately as he could, very clearly afraid of dropping him or squeezing him too hard or dropping his head, and placed him on Raven’s chest.

The love in Raven’s eyes was unlike anything Emori had seen before. She didn’t even examine the baby, just gazed down at him and held him dear. When Emori looked up, John had that same look in his eye.

A while after it was time to deliver the placenta, and Raven extended her baby out for Emori to hold. It was surprising—wasn’t that John’s job? Shouldn’t he get a turn again?

“Aster…” Raven’s voice was tired and sweet. “Meet your Nomon.”

Emori looked between the baby and Raven. “... Nomon?” she asked. “Are you sure?”

Raven just nodded. “Of course. That’s just who you are. He has his Mama, his Dada, and his Nomon.” She gestured between herself, John, and Emori.

Emori couldn’t help the tears that pricked at her eyes. She held him in close to her chest, sniffing his new baby scent and getting used to the feeling of him in her arms. He wasn’t her flesh and blood, yet he was still hers. He was half John and half Raven. She’d been there through it all. Together they’d smiled as many times as they’d cried and laughed a million more times than they’d yelled. This was Emori’s son, and she loved him so much.

John was supporting Raven through the afterbirth, but Emori couldn’t pay too much attention to them. This baby was here—her baby, their baby—and she couldn’t be more excited. It didn’t matter how he came into her life or how many other parents he had or even if he was technically hers. She was gonna love him and take care of him forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello beautiful people!
> 
> I want to give a huge thank you to Miranda for prompting me for this fic through the t100 Writers for BLM initiative. A wonderful person and an important cause <3 I am still accepting prompts, so please if you have any interest check out the initiative [here](https://tumblr.com/t100fic-for-blm) and send in a prompt to me or one of the other writers! You can find me on tumblr [@mobi-on-a-mission](https://tumblr.com/mobi-on-a-mission).
> 
> Fun fact: the working title for this fic was "Memoraven Baby Time." I was _this_ close to leaving it that way, but I guess that didn't fit with the overall vibe. So instead you have a lyric taken from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Guys, I really have no self control lmao
> 
> I hope you all have an amazing day! or night!  
> -Mobi <3


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